ELLSWORTH, Maine — A local businessman has been arrested and is facing drug charges after police say he purchased thousands of dollars worth of prescription pills Wednesday in the parking lot of a motel.

Patrick Jordan, 43, and Julie Edwards, 47, both of Ellsworth, each were arrested on a charge of unlawful trafficking in oxycodone, which is a class B felony, according to a press release issued Thursday by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. Class B crimes are punishable by fines of up to $20,000 and maximum prison sentences of 10 years.

Jordan is president of construction firm R.F. Jordan and Sons in Ellsworth, which has approximately 60 employees and offices downtown on Water Street, according to the company’s website. Jordan did not immediately return a phone message left Thursday afternoon at his office.

In addition to the trafficking charge, Edwards has been charged with violating conditions of release after having been arrested in a prior incident for possession of oxycodone.

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According to MDEA, police set up surveillance in the parking lot of a motel on High Street after they learned Jordan was scheduled to meet Edwards there on Wednesday afternoon. Police saw Jordan and Edwards meet in the parking lot just before 3 p.m. Thursday, and after the pair separated, police stopped Jordan’s truck and searched it.

Police say that inside the truck they found 87 30-milligram oxycodone tablets, which have a total value of $3,500. Police also seized $4,495 in cash that they found in Jordan’s truck — money that they believe is the proceeds from the sale of drugs, according to MDEA.

Both Jordan and Edwards bailed out of Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth later Wednesday, according to a corrections officer at the jail. Jordan was released on $1,000 unsecured bail. Edward’s bail amount was unavailable, the corrections officer said.

The investigation is ongoing and other people also could end up facing charges, according to MDEA.

Jordan has been a well-respected member of Ellsworth’s business community for several years. In 2006, under his leadership, R.F. Jordan & Sons received the Top Drawer Award from the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce. The company, which Jordan began running in the 1990s, was founded by his father.

Jordan also serves as president of the board of directors at the James Russell Wiggins Downeast Family YMCA in Ellsworth, according to the Y’s website.